Star Wars

Star Wars 1-12

A sad realization I made as I was reading these over again: As much as I love Star Wars, and as beloved as Luke, Leia, and Han are to me, I don’t really find them interesting enough to want more of their adventures outside of the films.  Whether it’s because they’re actually not that interesting (unlikely) or Jason Aaron’s not a good writer (untrue) or so much of their personality is baked into the actors who portrayed them (probably the reason), I couldn’t bring myself to care too much about what happens in these twelve issues.  

This is in stark contrast to my constant enthrallment with the machinations of Darth Vader over in his title (As reviewed in the previous entry).  Sure, villains are usually more interesting, but I didn’t expect such a huge engagement discrepancy. I’m not surprised that past me stopped buying this after the Vader Down arc, and kept going with Darth Vader.

The art by John Cassiday in the first arc and Stuart Immonen in the second boosts the final rating of this series up a notch.  Highlights:

Cassaday isn't known for his humor, but he's got his moments.

Love the victorious Jawa pose.

So does Cassaday, apparently

Immonen does the best Leia expressions.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Star Wars: Legacy, Darth Vader

Star Wars: Legacy 32-36

This was the last Legacy trade that I bought, and I can see why the second time through - Darth Krayt is dead, so a lot of the driving force behind the story is gone now.  Also, Cade Skywalker’s a total dick here, and no one (well, me, at least) wants to read that. I’d have been happy to cut this from my collection if the completionist in me wouldn’t rather have more of the run than the space.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Darth Vader 1, 2, 8-25

Vader Down 1

Star Wars 13, 14

Star Wars Annual 1

Darth Vader is one of the most iconic villains ever.  Terror-inspiring within his universe, he’s as close to unstoppable as they come.  And this series by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca does a phenomenal job of conveying that.  (As do Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato in the crossover issues for the Vader Down arc.)

Vader strikes poses better than anyone, expect for...

THIS GUY!!!

But on another level, Vader is nothing more than a glorified servant, ordered about by the Emperor and designated flunkies.  For all of Vader’s schemes and struggles to break free of the Emperor’s yoke and forge his own destiny, he’s never in control.  It’s not until Return of the Jedi that he truly self-deterministic.  This dichotomy adds some nice depth to the stories here.

Speaking of nice depth, Triple Zero and Beetee are on the short list of best Star Wars characters ever.  Mirror Universe C3-P0 and R2-D2 are never less than utterly delightful, right up there with HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic.  

This is a super fun series, with a great combination of action, intrigue, conspiracies, and humor.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good (Fine for the Annual)

Star Wars: Tag and Bink, Star Wars: Legacy, New Comics

Having a baby means no time to write.  I’ve been okay about keeping up with the reading, but writing’s a whole other thing.  Really quickly, while she’s sleeping:

New comics!

Giant Days 1-4

I gave this a shot because someone over at AV Club has a massive thing for it.  Three women and their college adventures is definitely something that I’m interested in trying out, but there are too many wacky hijinks and not enough angst for me.  (Which says more about my own college adventures than the comic, I know…)

King Thor 3

Massive fight scene.  Fine for what it is, it’ll most likely read better all at once.  

Captain Marvel 12

Lee Garbett (of Skyward fame) is the only reason I got this issue.  It’s the beginning of an arc where Captain Marvel needs to kill the Avengers in 24 hours for some as-of-yet unrevealed reason.  I’ll read six (or whatever it ends up being) issues of Garbett drawing Carol versus the Avengers. For sure.  

DCeased 1-6

I bought this sweet hardcover off the recommendation of the iFanboy podcast, and it’s as good as they say.  I didn’t think another zombie-pocalypse Elseworlds would bring anything of value to my life, but this is so full of truly emotional feels and visceral action that I’m completely blown away.  Immediacy bias rates this at Pure Joy, will see what the re-read eventually brings.

Love this cover by Joshua Middleton.  The power, courage, despair, hopelessness...

Star Wars: Tag and Bink are Dead 1-2

Kevin Rubio of Troops fame wrote this, eliciting a buy-on-sight reaction from me when this first came out.  Troops went viral before it was a thing back when I was in college, and it’s still one of the best Star Wars parodies ever.  

The comic is really funny too, as Rubio Forrest Gump’s two Rebel soldiers into as many scenes from Episodes IV and V as he can.  A fun read.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Star Wars: Legacy 1-31
Star Wars: Rebellion 15-16

I’m impressed that John Ostrander’s been able to keep my attention about a descendent of Luke Skywalker 125 years in the future for so many issues.  He recycles a lot of tropes (reluctant hero running from his past and destiny, a big bad Sith trying to tempt him over to the Dark Side, etc), but it goes to show how far combining a solid writer w/ the Star Wars IP can get you.  The art’s better than average whenever Jan Duurseema is at the drawing table, but once in a while you get fill-in clunkers like Alan Robinson. I feel bad bagging on him, but this panel belongs in something like Tag and Bink, not a serious Star Wars comic.

He seriously looks like a Muppet.  Can't fear a Muppet.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good to Nice as the series went on

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Empire, Star Wars Tales, New Comics

One new comic for the week:

Punisher: Soviet 1

Garth Ennis writing Punisher = no look purchase. Artist Jacen Burrows is channelling Steve Dillon here, which is hardly a bad thing.  It’s too early to really tell how this is going to differentiate itself from every other Punisher story, but Ennis usually finds a way.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 1-4

I got this ages ago for nostalgia purposes, having first read it when I was in elementary school.  It holds up extremely well. Archie Goodwin’s narrative style is bombastic in all the right ways, and while it’s extremely wordy, it’s understandable considering the amount of action that needs to be visually truncated in order for the story to fit in four issues.  

The real star is Al Williamson and his gorgeous art.  It’s detailed and action packed, which maintaining a timeless quality.  Knowing absolutely nothing about him, I did some quick research, and discovered that he’s an old school legend.  This series is certainly proof of his skills.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Major Feels

Star Wars: Empire 1-4

A really fun story by Scott Allie and Ryan Benjamin, where a group of Moffs attempt a coup on the Emperor and Darth Vader.  It fails, of course, but all the intrigue is a blast to read. Benjamin’s great as a Star Wars artist if he doesn’t have to draw normal humans.  And the detail he packs into his ships is impressive too.

Benjamin does a great Emperor.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Star Wars Tales 9, 13

Dark Side shenanigans allow Darth Vader to fight Darth Maul.  I don’t care about the science, I’m totally here for the fight.  It’s a ton of fun, and Rick Leonardi does an okay job with the fight, but I would have liked to see a more accomplished artist tackle the job.

Fun, but the cartoony look detracts from what could have been really badass.

Homage to Frank Miller's Ronin...

...which Rob Liefeld used himself in New Mutants...

...here.

I was prepared to ditch issue 13, a Mace Windu anthology, before I saw the display of talent in the credits - Kagan McLeod, Michael Zulli, and Jerome Opena all lend their skills to the stories, and I can’t bring myself to get rid of their work.  The real star is the final entry, an unexpectedly poignant story showing the emotional consequences of gathering Jedi babies at birth, ripping them away from their families. Nicely done by Jason Hall.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Star Wars Infinities

Star Wars Infinities: New Hope 1-4

Star Wars Infinities: Empire Strikes Back 1-4

Star Wars Infinities: Return of the Jedi 1-4

Star Wars goes the Elseworlds route with some fun what ifs: What if Luke didn’t destroy the Death Star?  (Yoda crashes the Death Star into Coruscant.) What if Han didn’t rescue Luke in time on Hoth? (Leia becomes a Jedi and Han kills Darth Vader.)  What if C3-P0 isn’t there to translate for Jabba at the beginning of Return?  (Darth Vader becomes a good guy and dresses in white.  It’s as stupid as it sounds and looks.)

There some Labor Day joke to be made here.

The stories are generally pretty fun, but they all falter at the end.  None of the conclusions are all that satisfying. But it’s still fun to see twists on these immensely familiar movies.  Seeing Leia as a Jedi is supremely cool. (Especially since we won’t be able to get that pleasure in Episode IX.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice for New Hope, Fine for the others

Star Wars: Dark Empire, Our Wonderful Days

Our Wonderful Days Vol 1

I was in the mood for a sweet romance, and that’s what this is.  A little slice of life comic about four high school girls and their friendship.  There’s the standard “two of them are clearly in love with each other, when will they do something about it?” delay, but the journey’s cute enough that it’s not too frustrating.  I’m unlikely to get more (this is a three volume series), but this was a fun diversion from all the Star Wars :)

Star Wars: Dark Empire 1-6

Star Wars: Dark Empire II 1-6

This series is such a departure from what I think of as Star Wars, but it still fits into the universe so well.  Tom Veitch writes a story with such big ideas at such an early stage of the Extended Universe - the return of the Emperor and Boba Fett, Luke turning to the Dark Side, the Galaxy Gun, World Devastators.  It’s impressive in its scope, but the wordiness of his style detracts from the flow.

At the same time, Cam Kennedy brings an art style that is unlike anything else that I’ve seen.  There’s an ugliness to it that’s still visually compelling in an appealing way. Kennedy also loves to color each panel with shades of the same hue, creating a washed out effect that continuously feels off to me.  And yet I wouldn’t want it any other way.  It baffles me.

Reds!

Blues!

Greens!

Ooh, reds and blues!  (Love Luke's power pose.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes (No for DE II)

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice (Fine for DE II)

Star Wars: Republic, Star Wars: Purge, Star Wars: Dark Times

Star Wars: Republic 79-83

Star Wars: Purge

Star Wars: Dark Times 1-5

Quinlan Vos gets his happy ending for reals, and the story shifts to Jedi Dass Jennir.  He’s far less interesting, and Dark Times isn’t staying in my collection.  The art by Douglas Wheatley is nice, though.  He’s got the same “colors on top of non-inked pencils” look that Brian Ching did before him on this title.  (Even though it’s inked. If that makes any sense.)

Ching

Wheatley

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes (No for Dark Times)

Would read again: Yes (No for Dark Times)

Rating: Nice (Didn’t suck for Dark Times, cutting)

Star Wars: Obsession, Star Wars: Republic, New Comics

New comics for the week! It’s an all-DC fest.  How things have changed with Bendis’ transition from Marvel.

Legion of Super-Heroes 1

That said, I wasn’t that impressed by this first issue.  I measure all Legion stories against Mark Waid and Barry Kitson’s fabulous run, and this one falls short.  This is a prime “pick it up in trade if I hear good things about it in the future” candidate, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be adding this to my pull list.  

Lois Lane 5

Still couldn’t tell you what the central mystery of this maxi-series is, but the mood and character work is fun enough that I’ll keep picking it up.  A decent rebound after a weak fourth issue. 

Superman: Up in the Sky 5

More tone poems by Tom King and Andy Kubert.  My favorite stanzas:

That top panel is sublime.

 

What a lovely final turn of phrase.

Batman: Universe 5

Nick Derington enters the Artist Hall of Fame with this beautiful spread:

The choreography, flow, artistry - it all combines into a sublime work of art.

Star Wars: Obsession 1-5

Star Wars: Republic 72-77

Asajj Ventress survives the Clone Wars comics intact, to be used by future license holders.  The same is true of Quinlan Vos. Both fan favorites (I presume. They’re certainly favorites of mine) live to fight another day, the same way Ahsoka Tano managed to find a way out of the main narrative before Order 66 in the animated series.  With one trade to go, Republic has managed to maintain a consistent, solid quality across multiple artists and writers.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Star Wars: Republic, Star Wars: Jedi

Star Wars: Republic 60-71

Star Wars: Jedi - Aayla Secura, Dooku, Yoda

More Clone Wars goodness.  The Yoda issue stands out in particular, both with a kickass cover by Hoon and an above story by Jeremy Barlow; Yoda is placed at odds with an old friend, and while they are able to amicably agree to disagree, the entities that they represent are far too eager to escalate the conflict, resulting in death and destruction.  It’s not a new story, but it’s a well executed one.

Here’s a nice bit of storytelling by writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema to create a cool moment of badassery:

Of course, Palpatine's going to kill you all in the span of 5 minutes.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice (Pretty good for Yoda)